A Place Where Dreams End
by xheartxfeltx
Summary: Skoochys life before he met the people most important to him.


The thing Skoochy hated the most about living on the streets, was the cold.

Bone chilling, seeps into you soul cold, where he would huddle into whatever scraps of cloth or this strips of fabric he could find.

Even during the summer time, where the heat rose in waves off the pavement, the nights would drop in temperature, leaving the unfortunate homeless with the uncomfortable predicament of nestling closer to the ground, hoping to catch any remaining warmth that had been soaked up.

The street kids quickly learned to sleep in groups. Even the most solitary children wound up joining with a few other people, even if it was just for the night, if only to revel in the warmth of shared body heat. This was how Skoochy met Mako and Bolin.

He was still young quite young, recently run-away from the orphanage, and still deemed 'cute'. He used this as an asset, the more precious you looked, the more willing adults were to part with food and money. Most of the older children would have resented him, and the other younglings, for this minor bit of luck, happy to leave the little ones to the vultures. Not the brothers though.

It was really Bolins idea, he begged his brother to help all the younger children, who were not yet street smart enough to fend for themselves during the night. They were both barely teenagers themselves, but already looking out for the good of others. Mako agreed, and every evening, they would round up all of the little guys, huddling them together for warmth, while Mako would periodically create a small blaze to heat the area.

This was Skoochys favorite part of day, scampering over each other, laughing, playing almost like they were real kids. Then when they grew tired and couldn't keep their eyes open any longer, they would lay wherever was comfortable, limbs askew, tangled together. They slept like a pack of puppies, intertwined and laying on each other. In these moments, his life felt a whole lot less lonely.

But like all things on the street, it couldn't last. The brothers were no longer able to support themselves by simple panhandling, opting instead to join the ranks of the street gangs, doing small jobs and favors. It was the fate of almost every kid who called the streets home.

Skoochy started to grow, he was less adorable, and more suspicious looking. He abandoned his group of peers forgetting about their nights of shared warmth. He watched the older kids, learned the tricks to becoming a petty thief and a pickpocket. He practiced disappearing into the crowds and running along buildings to avoid law enforcement. He was turning into a proper street rat.

An older group took him in, not quite old enough to become gang members themselves, most kids their age practiced with creating mini gangs amongst the other children, Skoochy was proud to become on of the younger members. He was one of the better pickpockets, able to slip his fingers unnoticed into any type of clothing or bag. The other kids loved him for it, and he felt appreciated, less lonely. Until he picked the wrong pocket.

It ended up being a member of one of the more vicious gangs, a man not afraid to punish who ever he felt deserving. His friends abandoned him to this fate, running away while the guy was busy wailing on Skoochys face. Later, sporting a broken nose, two black eyes, and probably a few broken ribs, he tried returning to his group. They shunned him, stating that he had drawn attention to himself, and if the other gang members saw him running with them they wouldn't allow the others into these gangs.

He was forced away, an autumn night that promised to be rather miserable. He began wandering, with blood drying on his shirt, and his face swollen, he imagined he made quite the spectacle judging by the way everyone he passed looked at everything but _him._ He was invisible, hurt, and lonely. He had no where to go.

Finding himself at the statue dedicated to Firelord Zuko, his feet would no longer support him, and he collapsed at it's base. For a few moments he concentrated on breathing, and pretending that the warmth of the fire being emitted from the statue could be felt, easing his aches. His eyes would not remain open, and he gratefully slipped into sleep.

He woke a few hours later, in the dead of night. The breath escaping his lips transformed into little clouds in the cold, wisping across his face. The first thing he noticed was the pain he was in, the second was the two little forms huddled into his side. Shifting to try and move away, his ribs gave a sharp pain of protest, he couldn't contain the loud gasp and one of the bundles flew up, eyes open wide in fear.

She was a small kid, rather underfed for someone her age, usually kids that size had the pick of the bleeding hearts, able to score money from anyone with a pathetic look and a trembling lip. They spent a few minutes staring at each other, her companion remained blissfully unaware to their interaction.

"What are you doing kid?" His voice came out raspy, probably due to all the screaming he did earlier. She shrugged in response.

"We were cold, you looked cold, I decided to fix that." This girl didn't take smack from anybody it seemed.

"Well, no one said you and your friend could use me as your personal heater, so the both of you need to scram!" Her little friend woke up at this point, his head shooting up allowing Skoochy to get a good look at him.

His features gave him away, and the fact that he immediately took to rocking back and forth mumbling into his arms. He would periodically clap his hands together making a little grunting noise. Skoochy could understand now why the girl wasn't scoring as much from that adults as she should have been, The streets were not kind to anyone, but they were especially cruel to those who were not deemed normal.

Unfortunately it was a common sight, parents who gave birth to a child they thought was 'touched in the head' were not as accepting of their child, thinking the children an abomination, or simple getting tired of how much work went into caring for a kid who was so far behind mentally, had these people rushing the kid off to the nearest orphanage, and in turn the orphanage might turn a blind eye, allowing the child to wander off.

As sad as it was, most of the time, these kids were the first to go. Unable to beg for food properly, and unknowledgeable on how to take care of themselves, they would only be seen for a day or to, before they were gone, probably found by the police a few days too late.

It seemed this young man had the fortune of finding a kindred spirit. Skoochy guessed that half of what the girl made in a day, went to supporting the boy. Which cut her own intake down significantly, but also helped keep him alive. It was rather honorable, but still a bit puzzling, any other street kid would have ditched the boy long ago. It was every man for himself on the streets, it seemed this girl did not get the memo.

"Your friend…is he-"

"What about my friend?!" She cut off sharply, moving to stick her face in his. "You leave him alone you hear? He ain't done nothin to you!" Skoochy raised his hands in appeasement, signifying that he would not bring it up again.

"Do you guys have anyone else in your group?" She backed away, looking rather ashamed.

"No, the other kids don't like being near him. Some think they gonna catch what he got." Skoochy thought of when he was this girls age, the only joy he derived was from being part of the group of other children, feeling like they weren't alone and taking comfort in each other. But this happened sometimes, even the little ones knew that weakness was not an option, and would often cut out any child who seemed like too much of a burden.

Skoochy glanced over at the boy, he seemed rather content now, clapping occasionally and tilting his head from side to side, a happy grin plastered on his face. This pair of kids were out casts for something the boy had no control over, and the girl had too big of a heart to leave him behind.

For a moment, he thought or running them off, forcing them to find somewhere else to sleep, but he remembered his own outcast status. Could he really fault these guys for want to share a bit of warmth.

"Alright, you can sleep here, but don't jab my side it still hurts." The girl grinned and pushed the other boy closer to Skoochy, she wrapped her arms around him and the boy mumbled something Skoochy couldn't understand and patted him on the cheek. A streak of pain had him hissing, but the boy was to preoccupied with getting comfortable. Leaning his head against Skoochys shoulder and allowing the girl to snuggle in closer. The two drifted off to sleep rather quickly in the new warmth, leaving the older boy to contemplate the rather strange turn of events.

In reality, the two of them were probably only going to hold Skoochy back, he would be better off on his own, but his mind drifted back to when he was younger, and a pair of brothers could have thought the same thing. Those two probably saved Skoochys life with what they did, and now he had the chance to repay their kindness.

* * *

The next morning he learned their names. The girl called herself Atty, which was short for attitude, he found this appropriate given she had more attitude than any other child her age. The boy they called Drooler, mostly because of how much he did just that, Atty was constantly swiping at his chin with a rag she kept in her pocket for just this purpose.

The three of them created their own pack of sorts, working together to support each other. Every morning they would leave Drooler somewhere safe, usually an abandoned door step or a bench. He would sit for hours fiddling with little pieces of machinery, while Atty and Skoochy went off to earn some money in their own ways. They would meet up again in the afternoons, to eat and pool together their resources. Sometimes Drooler would even make something out of the dead machinery he collected. Once he got a radio to work and the trio were excited to have a form of entertainment, but it had been stolen rather quickly. After that the mostly sold whatever Drooler fixed.

This little ritual went on for months, eventually they began to attract some other outcasts, children deemed too little or too sickly to be of any help. They flocked to Skoochys little rag tag bunch and by the time winter was over, he had a group of nine kids under his command as it were. Leading these kids was hard, he was in charge of keeping them fed and clothed, not to mention scare off any older kids looking for easy pickings, his earth bending came in handy during these situations.

As much as Skoochy was the leader, Atty was his second-in-command. Always looking out for new spots to keep them housed for the night, and listening to any complaints the other kids had, she was a true mothering spirit. And if Atty was the mother, than Drooler was the soul. At first the other kids were uncomfortable around a child so visibly unnatural looking, but Drooler didn't care, he loved without boundaries. The first to comfort, and always eager to make everyone smile. The kids soon grew to love him despite his mental disabilities.

The months passed, and Skoochy kept his little gang content. It was the happiest he had been, and he truly felt like he was part of a family now. He was really starting to enjoy life, despite his street rat status, everything was looking up for him and his crew.

He should have never expected it to last.

* * *

When one evening, Atty didn't return, everyone was concerned. Drooler was practically inconsolable. Skoochy was worried, and despite his better judgement, decided to go looking for her, even if it was getting dark. Another one of the older boys joined him, and together they began the search, walking away from Droolers wails of protest.

Neither boys talked much, there was an unspoken truth about the streets. Kids die, and they do it often. They both knew that this was a very real possibility, and neither was naive enough to believe that if they found her, that she would be happy and whole.

Wandering for hours, occasionally stopping to ask for information, eventually one of the kinder prostitutes took pity on them, and directed them to an alley way where she thought she had seen a girl of Attys description heading.

They walked in that direction, Skoochys heart heavy with every step he took. When they reached the alley he smelled the blood before he saw it. The other boy hadn't noticed yet.

"Hey, why don't you wait for me out here." The other boy nodded gratefully, and Skoochy began his uneasy trek into the alley.

He could see the blood now, little traces here and there, as if who ever it belonged to had been stumbling. He followed it for a little longer, then he spotted the form it led to. His heart was in his throat now, and he couldn't bring himself to swallow down the fear enough to check the face. He had lived on the streets for long enough to have seen dead people. It was just the way things were, but the thought that it might be his friend, was almost to much to bear.

He suddenly noticed the person was still breathing, shallowly and painfully, but still breathing all the same. He rushed over, turning the form to its side, the cloth obscuring the face came away and Skoochy could make out her features in the pale moonlight. It was Atty, just like he had suspected all along.

From what he could tell by inspecting her, someone had attacked her with a bottle, pieces of glass were sticking out of her head, and the wound was deep, still spewing hot blood all over his hands. He tried to hold back the tears, crying wasn't going to help her. She opened her eyes, and gave a shaky smile at him.

"Well look who decided to show up." he gave her an obligatory laugh, he didn't really find humor in this situation, but he suspected she didn't have a whole lot of time, and he didn't want to make it worse for her.

"Yeah, got a little lost on the way." She winced, and the action cause a flow of blood to streak down her face. "What happened?"

"Drunk fool, tried to grab my money. I was getting away and he threw the bottle at my head, it shattered, and now here we are, saying our last goodbyes." Skoochy wanted to punch something.

"You'll be alright Atty, we'll just get you to a hospital, and they'll patch you up, just like new what do you say?" He didn't believe this, and by the look she was giving him neither did she.

"Don't do that Skoochy, don't lie to me." She winced again, more blood pouring out of the wound, her face was colorless, and he could see her eyes begin to cloud over, perhaps if he had found her sooner, they would have had a chance, but now they would never know.

"I'm glad you found me though, I was terrified. Not of dying, I knew it was going to happen, but of dying alone." She gasped in a shuddering breathe, and suddenly looked terrified. "You're not going to leave me are you?!"

Skoochy wanted to, he didn't want to stay here and watch his friend die, he was just a kid, they both were. He wanted to run away so he wouldn't be saddled with the memory of watching the light leave her eyes. But she looked so scared. Grasping at his shirt with as much strength as she had left. He couldn't abandon her, she wouldn't have abandoned him.

"No Atty, I'll stay here with you."

"Until the end?"

"Until the end." He confirmed wrapping her in a gentle embrace.

They stayed silent for a few more moments, her breathe was coming in harsher, and she was drifting in and out of focus.

"You'll take care of Drooler for me right? Tell him I'll see him soon?" He nodded, unable to say anything over the lump in his throat. She reached into her pocket, pulling out the rag she kept for Drooler. He took it with shaky fingers.

"Thank you Skoochy. For everything, for taking us in when you could have run us off."

"And thank you for making this life more bearable." There were a million things he wanted to say, but he suspected she knew them already. Besides she was so busy gasping for breath, her eyes drifting to the side, and the blood still streaming out. He didn't think there was much more she could lose.

Finally her eyes widened a moment, her shallow breathing gasped in wonder, and a look of astonishment crossed her features.

"There it is!" She whispered. Skoochy wanted to ask what she was talking about, but it was too late.

She was gone.

Her lifeless eyes gazed off into the distance, and he knew he was alone. He allowed himself the luxury of weeping, there was no one here to see him. The night was cold, and the more time that passed the more frigid Atty became. Skoochy hated the cold.

After a few minutes of mourning, Skoochy decided enough was enough, and no one was going to feel sorry for him just sitting here crying over a girl who was gone.

He lifted her body into his arms, she had always been too light, and covered her face with his cap. The other boy didn't need to see this.

Exiting the alley, he heard his companion gasp, giving a little wail. Skoochy pretended not to hear, walking towards the open area of the city, where buildings had not yet reached. A lot of homeless kids were buried there, it was their own personal grave yard. He didn't check to see if the other boy was following him, expecting him to do whatever he wanted, Skoochy couldn't bring himself to care either way.

When the reached the bottom of a small hill, he began to make the short climb, his companion letting out a few sniffles as they ascended.

Skoochy found it ironic that one of the benefits to being an earth bender was the ability to make quick grave sites. He never expected to have to use this technique.

When she was covered, both boys stood there for a few minutes longer. Neither said anything as they were both lost in their own thoughts. Finally the other boy spoke up.

"One of the best kids the streets had to offer."

"The best." Skoochy agreed, before turning away beginning the walk home.

The cold seeped into his bones making everything numb.

He hated the cold.

* * *

The rest of the kids were notified the following morning. Skoochy offered Drooler the cloth Atty had left for him. The other boy couldn't understand the death of his friend, continually wailing and pounding against a wall.

"Come back, Come back!" He shouted this mantra over and over, Skoochy thought he would go mad with the sound. Finally, the other boy who had accompanied Skoochy the night before snapped, unable to take the misery anymore.

"Don't you get it! Shes gone! Never coming back, dug in the dirt. Shes buried now!" The boy screamed and wept, all the other kids watched in shock. Even Drooler was silent. "She's dead, and there is nothing you can do to change that."

Drooler turned and walked away, no one went after him. They weren't even sure if he really understood what was going on, or what had happened to Atty. All they knew was that a part of Drooler, the part devoted to Atty, would not let him give up on her. They assumed he went off to do his own searching.

Skoochy watched him walk off, and knew deep in his heart, that there was nothing he could say or do that would change the outcome of this situation. Drooler had one thing, one person that he had loved wholeheartedly, and she was gone. He could not imagine the depths of pain that went along with loving someone that much.

When Drooler left, he didn't come back. The other kids went on with their days, living as normally as they could under the circumstances. They would sometimes pretend that he had found another girl, one just like Atty, who took him in and loved just as strongly. But this was just wishing on their parts, Happy endings rarely happened on the streets.

Skoochy sometimes stayed awake late at night, thinking about Drooler and where he was now. He would hate himself for letting him go, he would get angry and think of how much work the boy took and would be glad he was gone. He would immediately feel ashamed about these thoughts but no matter how hard he wished, he could not turn back time, or bring either of them back.

The truth of the matter was he made a mistake, he let the boy wander off in his heart break, never to be seen again. Skoochy sometimes wondered if he were with Atty now. He liked that thought.

* * *

A few more months past and time went on, he never forgot about his first little crew, but he dwelled on them less and less, to busy with leading his group through the street life.

Until one day he went to the park, and met a girl who changed everything for him. When he first formally met her, he couldn't help thinking of Atty. It was rather ridiculous, they looked nothing alike, and this girl was far from the attitude of a street brat. But he could see in her eyes the same compassion that had driven Atty, a look he had never thought he would see again.

After the connection had been made he always had the urge to see her, soak in her presence, and pretend for a few minutes that everything was alright. She would read to him, and he would have conversations with her that didn't make him feel worthless.

The more time he spent with her, the less he saw of Atty. This girl became an entity all her own, and he would always be grateful to her for helping him heal this particular wound in his soul.

He continued to miss Atty and Drooler, he imagined that he always would. But he began looking at their memories with fondness rather than pain. For they had slipped off to a plane of existence he was not yet welcome to, a place where dreams end. Whether for better or worse, they always seemed to end.


End file.
